Germany to Enter 'Grand Coalition' Talks

Center Right and Left Parties to Open Formal Negotiations

By

Anton Troianovski and

Andrea Thomas

Updated Oct. 18, 2013 3:44 a.m. ET

BERLIN—German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and the opposition Social Democrats declared they would enter into formal coalition talks, putting Germany on course for a new government that will likely seek to implement some form of a minimum wage and will have a strong position in both houses of Parliament.

The agreement, if backed by Social Democrats at a party conference on Sunday, sets up what will probably be weeks of...